Nantucket Threads

by Pamela M. Kelley

  Still, Rhett was concerned a few weeks later and insisted on taking Lisa out to dinner that Saturday night. They went to Keepers, one of their favorite restaurants and over a delicious dinner, he told her that he thought she was pushing herself too hard.

  “It doesn’t look like you’re having enough fun with this new venture.”

  Lisa smiled. “The thrill has worn off just a little,” she admitted. “It’s great overall, though. I never expected sales to be so strong.”

  “Well, I’m not surprised. Your quiche is amazing and Marley is too. She’s an e-commerce powerhouse. You couldn’t have anyone better advising you…about generating sales. But, I worry that you might burn yourself out soon.”

  Lisa took a sip of her buttery chardonnay and thought about what Rhett said. The thought had crossed her mind too. Especially as they randomly had spikes in orders that were sometimes hard for her to handle. A good problem to have, but still.

  “I think you need to consider hiring someone else. Someone to help you with making the quiches. Train them to do it exactly the way you do. Then you can free yourself up, if you want to take time off or take on more orders. It will give you flexibility.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that, but you may be right. It’s been wonderful having Shannon help. And I recently hired her friend, too. She’s taken on the Saturday shipping and has come in a few times to help when we’ve had order spikes.”

  “I’ll put the word out at the restaurant and see if anyone knows anyone. People are always looking for more work this time of year.”

  Chapter 22

  Izzy’s due date was exactly one week away, and she’d never felt so grumpy.

  “Have I mentioned that I want this baby OUT, like now?” Izzy and Mia were sipping their morning coffee and relaxing on the living room sofa. It was a lazy Sunday morning and neither one of them had to be anywhere or do anything in particular that day.

  “I thought I might make a chicken stew later. I’m kind of in the mood to cook a little and they’re talking about snow again now.”

  “Mmm, that sounds good. Who is talking about snow? How much?”

  “I don’t think it’s supposed to amount to much. Just a dusting. I had a notification on my phone earlier.”

  “Well, thankfully we don’t have to worry about shoveling here.”

  “I know. One thing I love about living in a condo.”

  Izzy got up to refill her coffee and as she was standing in the kitchen holding the pot of coffee, her water broke and puddled on the tile floor below her. She didn’t realize what it was at first, as it was all new to her. But she quickly figured it out when the mild ache she’d felt earlier turned into an angry cramp.

  “Mia, I think it might be time to go to the hospital.”

  When they arrived at the hospital, Izzy was quickly admitted and settled in a delivery room. Mia stayed with her and suggested she hold off on calling Rick until they knew for sure that the baby was coming.

  “Sometimes it’s a false alarm and they might send you home. I think. I don’t really know either.”

  But it wasn’t a false alarm.

  “Your labor has started,” the doctor, a young woman who looked almost too young to be a doctor, assured them. “We’ve called your doctor and she will be here soon. You’re almost three centimeters dilated.”

  Another cramp, much stronger this time, took Izzy by surprise and she yelped from the pain. Mia grabbed her hand and squeezed. She looked up at the doctor. “Can you give her anything for the pain?”

  The doctor addressed Izzy. “We can make you more comfortable, if that’s what you would like. Some prefer to avoid drugs and go natural. It’s entirely up to you.”

  “I’ll take the drugs, please,” Izzy said without hesitation. Her plan all along had been to try to minimize the pain as much as possible.

  “I’ll have the nurse come in shortly to give you something. Try to rest up.”

  As soon as she was out of earshot, Izzy looked at her sister. “I don’t understand why anyone would willingly choose to do this naturally. I’ve never felt anything like this pain. And I know it’s going to get worse.”

  “I’m with you. I don’t understand it either. But they say the recovery is easier if you don’t use any pain drugs. They also say it’s the worst pain but the fastest to forget, or something like that.”

  Izzy laughed. “I’m not likely to forget what this feels like. But to each their own.”

  An anesthesiologist came in a few minutes later and positioned Izzy to give her the epidural shot. He had her lay on her side and round her back so he could carefully insert the catheter into her lower back and to the epidural space near the spinal cord. It didn’t take long and in about twenty minutes, Izzy felt the numbing effect and the pain was dulled. She could still feel the contractions happening, but they were no longer painful.

  “Do you want me to call Rick now?” Mia asked.

  Izzy nodded. “I’ll call him if you hand me my phone.”

  Rick’s phone rang several times and was about to go into voice mail when he answered, his voice thick with sleep. “Izzy? Is everything ok?”

  “I’m in the hospital with Mia. My water broke. They just gave me an epidural. I don’t know how long it will be now, but the baby is coming.”

  “I’ll be right there.” Rick was suddenly wide awake, and Izzy felt a wave of exhaustion as another painless cramp came and went. She closed her eyes for just a moment. And didn’t open them again until she heard Rick’s voice. She must have dozed off for a bit.

  “Izzy, how are you feeling?” Rick nodded to Mia. “Hi, Mia.”

  “Hi Rick. I’m going to go get a coffee. Do either of you want one? Izzy, I’m not sure if you can have one.”

  “I’m good,” Izzy said.

  “I’d love one. I haven’t had any yet.”

  “I’ll be back in a bit.” Mia left, giving Izzy and Rick some privacy for a few minutes. He sat next to her and took her hand, squeezing it gently.

  “I can’t believe it’s almost time. What are you hoping for, a boy or a girl?”

  Izzy smiled. “Just a healthy baby.” Though she’d been tempted a few times to find out what she was having, she’d decided to wait. She was excited to find out, and it was something to look forward to after getting through the birth.

  “Are you in any pain?” Rick asked.

  She shook her head. “I was earlier, but they gave me the epidural before it got too bad.”

  “Good. Soon we’ll be a family. And you’ll move back in.” He spoke surely, as though this was a fact. And somewhere, deep under her drug-induced haze, Izzy felt a hint of irritation.

  “We’ll see. I told Mia I would stay with her for a year after I have the baby.”

  “Sure, but that was before we got back together.”

  Izzy shot him a look, and he knew to back down.

  “Right…I know we are taking it slow still. But I was thinking, what if once you’re home and feeling better, if you maybe spend the weekend and we can have a taste of what it will be like to be living together as a family.”

  Izzy didn’t hate that idea.

  “That might be a good first step. We’ll talk more once I’m home and feeling better.”

  Mia returned a few minutes later with the coffees and handed one to Rick.

  “Did they say how long it will be before you start delivering?” Rick asked.

  “They don’t know. She needs to get to ten centimeters, and she’s only at three now. It could be hours or it might go quickly. The nurse said it varies.”

  “Okay.” Rick opened his coffee and took a sip. Izzy closed her eyes again and drifted off to a wonderful hazy place where she was half-awake. She rested there for a while until she was surprised by a contraction that ripped through her and that she felt more than she’d expected. She moaned and both Rick and Mia were immediately concerned.

  “What is it, Izzy? Are you alright?” Rick asked.

  “Did you fe
el pain?” Mia asked as a nurse walked up to them.

  “I did a little. Not too bad, but it surprised me.”

  “We can add some medicine to your epidural,” the nurse offered.

  “Yes, please do.” Izzy wanted to return to the hazy, happy place.

  A few minutes later, more medicine was added to the epidural catheter and the nurse also checked Izzy’s cervix.

  “Seven centimeters dilated now. Won’t be too much longer. Your doctor will be here soon to check on you.”

  Thirty minutes later, Izzy’s doctor, Tina Powers, a tiny woman in her fifties, walked into the room. She was dressed in her doctor whites, with her shoulder-length brown hair tied back in a ponytail, making her look younger. She smiled when she saw Izzy.

  “So, your baby decided to come a little early.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” Rick asked.

  The doctor shook her head. “Not when it’s only a week. Nothing to worry about. Let’s take a look.”

  Izzy shifted as a big contraction swept through her. She was grateful for the epidural because she didn’t feel any pain, just pressure, and she had a feeling they were getting closer.

  “You just went to nine centimeters. We’re almost ready to get this delivery started. I’ll be back shortly to check on you.”

  She left and Izzy closed her eyes again. She was so tired. She could hear Mia and Rick chatting softly. When she opened them again, the doctor was back.

  “Okay, Izzy. It’s time to push. Can you do that for me?”

  Izzy gathered her strength and felt the urge to push. She bore down and both Mia and Rick cheered her on.

  “Izzy, you’re doing great!” Mia said.

  “That was good, Izzy. Do it again, please.”

  “Give it a good one, Izzy!” Rick encouraged her.

  She pushed, and she pushed and pushed. It was exhausting. And she just wanted to go back to sleep.

  “Izzy, stay focused. You’re in the home stretch now. A few more big pushes.”

  She tried to focus and to push. Again and again. And then finally there was a huge push and then a whoosh, followed by cheers from Mia and Rick.

  “That was pretty incredible,” Rick said.

  “Good job, mom,” the doctor said as Izzy’s baby took her first breath and cried. And it was the most beautiful sound Izzy had ever heard. The doctor smiled. “Congratulations, you have a healthy baby girl.” She placed the baby on Izzy’s chest and had Rick cut the umbilical cord.

  Izzy looked down at the tiny face and snuggled the baby close to her.

  “Emily. Her name is Emily.”

  “It’s wonderful to meet you, Emily.” Mia had tears in her eyes and Rick did too.

  “Emily is a good name,” Rick said.

  One of the nurses come over after a short while.“Let’s take Emily and get her settled so Izzy can get some rest. Sound good?”

  Izzy nodded. She was reluctant to let go of the baby, but it was so difficult to keep her eyes open.

  “Izzy, I’ll stop by later tonight,” Mia said.

  “I’ll call and maybe come by later too.”

  Rick gave her a quick kiss goodbye, and Izzy floated away soon after.

  Mia came the next day to bring Izzy home. Rick had offered to help, too, but Izzy was still so tired. She told him it was easier for Mia to do it and that she’d call him later.

  Her first week home with the baby was a blur. It was wonderful and exhausting at the same time. She knew she was lucky with Emily as she seemed as though she was going to be a good baby, not colicky like Izzy had heard some babies could be. She was grateful for that. Emily definitely cried when she needed something, but she was easily soothed and she liked to sleep.

  Rick came by a few times that week to visit. He seemed in awe of the baby. Especially when he held her, and she cooed up at him. He said that she was the most beautiful baby he’d ever seen. And Izzy had to agree with him there. She thought Emily was just perfect, with her baby fuzz for hair and her pink skin and little rolls of baby fat around her knees. She had a quizzical expression at times that cracked Izzy up, and she wondered what was going through her daughter’s mind.

  After about two weeks, Izzy started to feel semi-normal and a bit stir-crazy to get back in the shop. She had it well-covered. The girls gave her daily updates and she could see the sales coming in through the website, but she missed the energy of being in the thick of it.

  So, on the Monday of week three, she packed Emily into her baby carrier along with several baby blankets, plenty of diapers, bottles, and formula. They went into the shop and Izzy grew teary-eyed when she saw what was behind the counter.

  Will had stopped by to visit a few times since she’d been home from the hospital and like everyone, he adored Emily as soon as he met her. Izzy had told him that she was planning to go back to the store soon and wanted to bring Emily along with her. The girls told her that Will had dropped off a surprise at the store, but that they couldn’t tell her more than that. Will had made them promise to keep quiet.

  He’d built her a wooden stand behind the counter that she could set the baby carrier into or if she wanted, she could take Emily out of the carrier and place her in the stand itself as it was like a big bowl with high sides all around. Izzy set the carrier in the stand and it fit perfectly. She positioned the carrier so Emily was facing her and she could keep an eye on her as she worked. She called Will immediately to thank him.

  “Will, this is so nice of you. Thank you. Emily and I both love it.”

  “I’m glad. It was a fun project for me. Maybe I’ll pop in today or tomorrow to see how she likes it.”

  “Of course, come in anytime.”

  Izzy was still smiling as she hung up the phone and opened her laptop. She checked her sales and smiled again. The store was still slow, but her online sales were steadily increasing each week. While she’d been home and not working for the past two weeks, her total sales were actually up. It was an amazing thing. The morning flew as she worked. A few customers came in, but most of her work was done online while Emily slept peacefully beside her. She woke a few times to eat or to have her diaper changed and usually fell right back asleep again.

  She woke totally around noon and didn’t seem to need anything. She just lay there happily cooing and looking around with her eyes wide. Izzy had noticed that she seemed to respond to bright colors. She held up a new sweater that was bright blue and Emily’s face lit up. A moment later, Will walked through the door.

  “Hey there!”

  Will walked over to Emily and smiled at her.

  “She is so cute. And she looks great in the stand.”

  “It’s working out perfectly. I can sit here and work and keep an eye on her easily.”

  “Are you hungry? I just grabbed a few slices of pizza from Oath. Thought you might want to share.”

  Izzy’s stomach rumbled. “What kind did you get?”

  “The David of course.”

  “Yes, please.” The David was one of their special pizzas with balsamic, mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, Italian sausage, mushrooms and fresh basil. It was beyond delicious. Will had picked up two slices for each of them.

  “I’m having trivia withdrawals,” Will said. “I don’t suppose you’ll be able to do that for a while?”

  “Actually, not this coming week, but the week after, Sam said his mother would love to watch Emily. She babysits his girls when we go to trivia anyway, and Sam said the girls are excited about it too.” It had crossed her mind, briefly, to ask Rick to watch Emily, but that didn’t feel right if it was so she could go out with her friends—especially Will, who Rick always seemed a little threatened by even though she’d assured him many times that they were just friends.

  Just as Will was saying how cute Emily was again, she started to cry, the familiar cry by now that meant she had a wet diaper. Izzy took her into her bathroom, threw out the dirty diaper and wrapped her in a fresh one. When she came back to the register, Will was watching
them and had a funny look on his face.

  “She looks so peaceful now, and happy.”

  “I’d be happy too if someone took my wet diaper away.” Izzy laughed. “Do you want to hold her?”

  “Could I?” He looked a bit nervous and excited at the same time.

  Izzy handed her to him and showed him how to gently hold her so that her head stayed supported. Will seemed in awe as he looked down at her and Emily stared up at him, her eyes wide. He was wearing a bright red sweater and Emily kept her eyes focused on it.

  “I think she likes your sweater. She likes vibrant colors.”

  “Just like her mom. Maybe she’ll go into fashion too.” Will handed Emily back, and Izzy settled her into her carrier. After a moment, Emily’s eyes shut, and she was fast asleep.

  “She seems really good,” Will commented.

  “So far, she is. I’m lucky.”

  “Is it hard? Doing it all by yourself?”

  “It’s a lot, but I’m not really by myself. I have Mia and Rick and you, and I have help in the store. The girls have been great and that has given me flexibility to work from home or to not work at all.”

  “It sounds like a lot. But you’re handling it exactly how I knew you would. You’re going to be a great mom, Izzy.”

  “Thank you.” Her eyes watered, and she laughed. “Silly hormones. I’m still crying at everything.”

  Will stood and pulled her into a hug, holding her tight for a moment before letting her go.

  “What was that for?”

  He smiled. “You just looked like you really needed a hug. And I wanted to hug you. I should probably head back to work. I have to be at a client site in Siasconset in twenty minutes.”